International assessments carried out on artificial intelligence technologies “currently place Morocco in relatively advanced positions among countries with comparable income”, according to the Moroccan Economic Center (CMC).
However, if the progress recorded so far seems to relate mainly to infrastructure and data, with a score reaching 56.79 out of 100 in 2023, it is clear that “the segments relating to the technology sector and governance remain, on the other hand, well behind the overall dynamic,” notes the Private Observatory of the Moroccan Economy.
The Center therefore recommends “the deployment of more sustained efforts to guarantee a more balanced development of the ecosystem and protect it against risk factors”.
In any case, “in Morocco, the use of artificial intelligence technologies has been experiencing sustained development for some time with applications extending to different areas,” observes the CMC in its annual Bulletin entitled “Thematic » of December 2024.
Morocco does not currently have a law dedicated to supervising AI
In this special on “Cybersecurity. Digitization and digital transformations – Vector of economic modernization”, the CMC specifies that these applications concern in particular image processing, automatic voice recognition, learning and understanding of natural language.
As for image processing, the usual applications “in particular concern the surveillance of urban traffic using radar systems, the organization of public transport in large metropolises through cameras installed in the main arteries and the monitoring of agricultural activities based on satellite images providing information on the state of crops, plant cover and the water situation,” he quotes.
Concerning automatic voice recognition, the observer explains that this advanced technology “allows companies to save time and productivity in the accomplishment of certain important tasks through “Machine Learning” (automatic learning)”.
Still according to the Private Observatory, “natural language understanding techniques applied to written documents also offer numerous possibilities to companies for the collection and processing of information and documentation necessary for the development of their activities”.
They also allow public services to better organize their activities and prevent inherent risks through the analysis of appropriate documents and signals.
For the CMC, there is no doubt that new artificial intelligence technologies offer Morocco multiple development opportunities in many sectors of activity. Well mastered, they can be used in the industrial sector to strengthen competitiveness in the most competitive export markets.
In the primary sector, increasingly subject to water stress, AI would make it possible to “gain efficiency through better programming of agricultural activities and optimization of water resources”.
The Center also indicates that AI could play a crucial role in “the operationalization of the social protection system” by guaranteeing its accessibility under the best conditions of quality and cost; and education, contributing to the achievement of the sector’s strategic objectives.
Anticipate major risks
The spectacular development of technologies and their dissemination in all spheres of human activity involve major risks that must be anticipated, warns the CMC, which cites the loss of control of systems generated by AI as one of the main risks most mentioned.
“In the absence of anticipation or control, we cannot a priori exclude scenarios where malicious developments in artificial intelligence could be used for purposes of destabilization and even destruction.”
Other risks incurred through AI: data confidentiality and the risk of massive job substitution by “machine intelligence” which could lead to major disruptions in the labor market.
To face these risks and many others, the Center considers it “essential to put in place the appropriate regulations, ethical standards and control mechanisms to supervise the activities of artificial intelligence and guarantee a positive contribution from these new technologies for the development of humanity.
Remember that despite the fact that it currently does not have any specific law governing AI, Morocco has adopted various fundamental texts aimed at the regularization of cybernetic activities.
Alain Bouithy
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